Liars Start Fires
by GlamorizedLevis
Summary: The hundred deepest secrets of Princesses Azula and Ty Lee. #TyzulaTuesday drabbles.
1. Murder

_**Liars Start Fires**_

###

 _Murder_

###

Fucked up couples like the two princesses rack up secrets like Iroh racks up Pai Sho points.

That is an inevitable truth in a sea of lies.

It isn't that they are completely fucked up but in love. Or maybe they are. Yes, they certainly are, but you don't have to be Azula and Ty Lee to see the world through the lens of a cheater. Some secrets make them laugh, like the time they cheated at that picture game on the Solstice and Zuko lost his temper because he _knew_ but everyone just called him paranoid.

They got away with that and never told a soul, despite laughing about it together for years.

But, just like they know how to get away with cheating at board games or bribing their niece to keep quiet about that accidental fire, they know how to get away with murder, espionage and a whole host of other things that need to be forever unspoken.

Which brings us to Azula with her back pinned against the only exit, and Ty Lee on the verge of trying to run at it and break it down. She needs to escape. She feels claustrophobic. She needs to escape.

"You were completely valid in what you did." Azula is rewording the same sentence she has repeated a thousand times.

"No-no-no _no I wasn't_ ," Ty Lee gasps, her wide eyes stuck even wider. "Azula, I can't just do that. Nobody can just do that."

"Well, you did and you need to get over it. It isn't as if you've never had to before. You were a soldier."

"I was a _soldier_. I was a child soldier if we're being specific, but that's so different. It's your fault!" Ty Lee's eyes sparkle with tears.

Azula feels queasy about making Ty Lee cry, but then just angry. "How is it my fault?"

"You were the one who got caught! I was protecting you!" Ty Lee wails.

"Now that is an interesting form of protection. Hm." Azula realizes the consequences of what she said and rolls her eyes. "I am very grateful. It was, on your part, a kneejerk decision, a crime of passion, I mean, the point was killing the sole witness, so…"

Ty Lee stiffens and looks about to punch Azula's lights out."Are you saying that it doesn't count because no one saw it but you?"

"Yes. I absolutely am. No one _really_ got hurt."

"Someone absolutely got hurt!" Ty Lee is starting to hyperventilate and Azula is starting to get very, very worried.

"We have discovered that we are a strong enough couple to carry a corpse together. Be happy about that level of romance and undying love." Azula cannot believe she said _undying love_ but this situation is dire.

Ty Lee has that _Zuko complex_ about trying to make up for what other people tell them are crimes. Azula has never apologized once for her monstrous deeds and she is happy that way. Her wife needs to be kept under control when it comes to things like this.

Ty Lee is silent for an unsettling amount of time. Then she finally whispers, "Azula, don't make me live with this."

Azula crosses her arms. Her wife should have anticipated that.

"I didn't make you do it, and you will have to come to terms with it." Azula sighs. She is getting nowhere and so she walks forward and dares to kneel. Ty Lee's eyes light up like the sun reappearing on a cloudy day. "What you did was for me, and I will never forget it. I think that it's incredibly sexy to have someone willing to kill for me, don't you?"

Well, Ty Lee _does_ but she doesn't like the idea of herself being the killer. Ty Lee reaches down and gently touches Azula's hands, and takes them in hers, and the princess has to exert all of her willpower to keep this up.

She is not getting locked up for her whole life over this. If that means manipulating her gullible wife, she will kneel and sweet talk until she gets what she wants.

"Help me cope. I've helped you so much."

"Of course," Azula says, uncertain if she means it or not. She doesn't want Ty Lee to be hurt because of her in a thousand years, but she also doesn't think she is capable of helping someone else from having a mental breakdown.

"I'd do it again for you."

"I know."


	2. Dry

### _  
_

 _Dry_

###

Ty Lee is relieved to get away from the ice cold Kyoshi Island winter, and revel in the dry hot Ember Island winter.

She tries not to hate things, but she can't help but hate the cold. It limits fashion choices and makes her shiver. Ember Island gives her the opportunity to show off anything and everything she wants to show off. Which is fairly important under the circumstances of her visit.

"I have no need for a babysitter. Stay out of my way. Not that I can go anywhere," Azula says in greeting. _Hello_ would have sufficed. "I'm sure you're under some kind of orders and I don't care enough to find out about them."

Azula is tapping a seashell on the table repeatedly in the cool shadows of the summer palace. Ty Lee is lost in the motion, her eyes fixated on the slightly chipped shell. The sound is a bit chilling, even in the heat.

 _'Don't get involved with her. She will play with you and nothing more,' Zuko says._

Ty Lee completely believes him. She also is certain that there will be repercussions if she does get involved at all. And, of course, she is certain that Azula knows that.

The princess does look awfully interested.

* * *

Ty Lee lies on the dry sand away from the water. She is on a private beach, with this gorgeous princess, who she still has a lot of feelings for, and she doesn't know why she is thinking so much about that fact. The heat beats down on her, sinking into her mostly-bare skin.

"You're okay?" Ty Lee asks like an idiot. She feels so stupid for even asking that of Azula. It is not like the princess _cares_ at all about Ty Lee watching over her.

"You don't care," Azula says and Ty Lee averts her eyes. "Do you still think I'm attractive?"

"That's so unrelated," Ty Lee says quickly.

Azula sits up on her knees and turns to face Ty Lee. "You're dressed like you do."

"It's hot out," Ty Lee objects.

"Go in the water." Azula lies down on her back. It's arched slightly.

She is absolutely playing with Ty Lee.

"I'm not leaving you alone."

Azula rubs a grain of sand between her fingers. "How thoughtful and sweet. Or scared and obedient of my brother. Tell me which."

"Both or neither or something."

"So do you?" Azula's lips twist. Ty Lee blushes.

Honestly, she admits, "Yes. Yes, I do."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, you should." Ty Lee stares at the waves.

"Make me believe you." Her voice is breathy. She is absolutely playing with Ty Lee.

Ty Lee really hates how good that sounds.

But she manages to keep herself cool.

* * *

When they are inside, Azula asks, "Are you sleeping with anyone?"

"That's also unrelated," Ty Lee says.

Azula bats her eyelashes. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend on vacation."

"I'm not falling for that." Ty Lee crosses her arms.

Smirking, of course. "I don't care if you kiss and tell. Why so secretive?"

"No. I'm not. And I am completely comfortable with that."

"Really? It doesn't sound that comfortable." Still smirking. Ty Lee hates her.

"I could go dry for like ten years," Ty Lee says loudly.

"Of course." Azula just looks _amused_.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

Azula bites her lower lip and then, of course, says, "Make me believe you. Don't sleep with me. You want to and I can see it."

Ty Lee groans. "Please don't do this."

"I don't kiss and tell. Our secret."

"That's a secret I really don't want. I don't think it's a good idea."

"Okay."

"It's…" Ty Lee swallows. "It's a secret?"

"Oh, yes." Azula kisses her. Ty Lee can hear Zuko's words in her head again. This is playing with her, but it feels like such a good kind of playing.

Ty Lee was lying about going dry for ten years and she is sure that Azula can see it now. Azula

Azula slips her hand behind Ty Lee's back, as if this is easy for her. The acrobat does not know what she is getting herself into. Azula is playing with her. But also making her soaking wet and throbbing and hoping that this really does stay a secret.

It is the kind of secret Ty Lee wants. As bad as she wants to undress Azula.

She licks the princess's neck. It sends a shiver through Azula. She steps backwards, against the wall. Ty Lee is barely connected to her, although her clothes stick to her from being pressed against Azula. Azula's fingers barely touch Ty Lee's hand as she pulls her to the side of the room. Like the beckon of a monster dragging a sailor to their death.

How fitting in a house covered in sand.

Their hips press each other. She pushes her up, against the wall with the strength that is always surprising to Azula. She pretends it means nothing as her body shakes and scrapes against the wall. Gasp and a moan and Ty Lee is trying not to drown in this abyss.

Her legs wrap around Ty Lee's waist with such ease that the acrobat feels out of sorts.

Ty Lee takes Azula's clothes off hastily, and messily and so eagerly that the princess can't help but smirk. And Azula pushes her down onto her knees.

No one has to know but them.


	3. Lipstick

_###_

 _Lipstick_

 _###_

 _ **94 AG**_

Azula's lips are crimson; Ty Lee's paint is lemon yellow.

They were handed paints and told to stay out of the way of the important war guys. Azula finishes hers as Ty Lee meticulously, meticulously makes sure that her ridiculous painting of a coral cove with a sunset or sunrise is perfect.

Princess Azula hates that Ty Lee is capable of making such a beautiful painting. Of course, Azula's is _better_. But Ty Lee is not allowed to be good at this.

"What happened to your mouth?" Ty Lee loudly asks.

Azula does not even answer, because it is obvious that she painted it once she got bored of painting herself conquering Ba Sing Se, blood and gore included.

"Don't tell anyone. I'm probably not supposed to do this," Azula whispers.

Ty Lee shrugs. "You look really pretty like that, princess."

"I know."

 _ **100 AG**_

Azula is trying to subtly get her lipstick off of Ty Lee's neck.

Their relationship is secret. That was the only condition of what they are up to. But now, oh now, they are in the same room as not only Mai, but also Zuko and Azula's father. Azula scrapes her teeth on her own lips whenever she can, but the stain is difficult to remove.

So she licks her thumb when Zuko has distracted everyone somehow, and reaches to rub it off. She takes her hand back when she sees the eyes return to her side of the room.

Attention goes away again…

Azula runs her thumb across her tongue quickly again…

She gets it. She gets it – and then Ty Lee shrieks and jumps, rubbing at the site of contact.

Azula sighs.

Ty Lee lies.

Secret kept.

Barely.

 _ **112 AG**_

"Don't tell mom," whispers a little girl with pink lipstick on. It is not very well painted, but she _did_ try.

"I won't," Azula says, not knowing that the little girl had said the exact same thing to Ty Lee earlier, when she destroyed Azula's make-up.

The child inherited Azula's lying skills.

Until Azula finds the broken lipstick, that is…

* * *

 **The next one is sexy (prompt is lace) and darker, I promise. And these three only count as one going towards the 30. Thanks for reading!  
**


	4. Lace

_###_

 _Lace_

 _###_

"I have a secret," Azula whispers at the apparently-very-important meeting of Zuko's.

"Oooo, what?" Ty Lee asks excitedly. Azula puts one finger to her lips. Despite how boring the speaker currently is, they cannot get into trouble.

Particularly since there are explicit rules against their relationship. If anyone found out about their frantic fucking behind the scenes, they would have multiple authorities to answer to. More reasons that Azula should be Fire Lord and own the universe.

"I'll tell you after this," Azula whispers. Ty Lee looks wounded. "What? It's not immediate."

"Then why would you tell me? Don't taunt me."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Please." It does not work. "Please, please, please, please, please…"

"Stop it. Stop it." Azula inconspicuously glances around the room before nudging Ty Lee with her knee. She rolls up her very professional but boring skirt and underneath is lace.

 _Oh_. Ty Lee trips very slightly and her chair screeches.

Aaaaaand all eyes are on them for a brief second. Ty Lee hopes she does not look too guilty. Apparently she does not, because Azula waves away the interruption.

"Very smooth of you," Azula murmurs out of the corner of her mouth.

Ty Lee wants to scream _shut up_ but she is still panicked over nearly getting caught looking up the princess's skirt.

Azula looks _entertained_ by it.

Ty Lee does not know why she is sleeping with her.


	5. Hearts

_###_

 _Hearts_

 _#_

 _And although it's always crowded,  
you still can find some room.  
Where broken hearted lovers  
do cry away their gloom.  
_" _Heartbreak Hotel," Elvis Presley_

 _###_

Ty Lee sits in front of a slick bar counter, with her skirt hiked up on the side.

She is not a drinker, to be honest. She does not think anyone will ever achieve creating a kind of booze she actually likes. Why does she have four glasses of rapidly cooling sake in front of her then? Because she is in the place where down on the luck rich people hide from their angry or frigid or estranged wives and husbands.

"So, who was it?" is a very common question here.

Ty Lee smiles to herself this time. "Oh, just some awful bitch I always hated. Being single has never felt so good."

Her visitor is a woman as sexy as herself, and Ty Lee knows she does not have friendship in mind. While the fellows were too reluctant to sit beside the girl with the braid, this beautiful stranger sits down right next to her.

"Do you mind if I steal these drinks? You don't look like much of a drinker." Her stranger grabs two and pulls them across the table to herself.

"Now that's an unfair assumption," Ty Lee says with a sly smirk. "Who was it for you?"

"You don't want to know. We're here and now, honey, and there's no reason to talk about horrid women. Now, I'm fairly certain you just said that to express the kind of company you prefer?"

"Nobody says _the company of women_ anymore. Oh, well, my recently estranged wife did, which is so _annoying._ She's a terrible listener."

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" she says before laughing. "You set yourself up for that one."

"You have a unique way of hitting on attractive women," Ty Lee says, looking her sexy stranger up and down.

"Well, I learned from all of the people hitting on the most attractive woman in this room."

"Yourself?" Ty Lee sighs. That wasn't her best effort.

"No. You. I'm not that bad at hitting on pretty girls." Her sexy stranger confidently crosses her legs.

Ty Lee leans in and says, "We've totally gotten off on the wrong foot. Let's start over. You just remind me vaguely of her. You are much better looking, though, of course."

"So smooth. Compare me to your ex." Her sexy stranger rolls her eyes.

Ty Lee has no patience for that. "You know where you are. This is where you go when you're not over your ex yet."

"So you aren't?" Her stranger downs one of the two drinks.

"No. It's been about four hours, but I decided that I was going to wait for her to come crawling back to me this time."

"Well, I have a proposition."

"You don't say." Ty Lee cocks an eyebrow.

"The reason people are trying to pick you up is because everybody wants to make their lost love so jealous. On a scale of one to ten, how jealous would your as of four hours ago ex be if you cheated on her in the tavern of the Heartbreak Inn."

The bartender interrupts, "It's actually called the—"

The soft, coaxing tone of her sexy stranger's voice disappears as she spins to face the bartender with fire in her gold eyes. "Did I ask you to speak? Did I even look at you? Did I acknowledge your existence or permit you to even breathe the same air as me?"

Ty Lee is laughing as the bartender stares.

"No?" he suggests.

"That's right." Her stranger swivels back in her chair and leans in too close. "Go on. Give me a number. I only go for eight and above."

"She's an eleven. No, like a twenty. Definitely a twenty." Ty Lee smiles sweetly. "One time she threatened to literally emasculate someone for drunkenly flirting on me."

"Did she?"

"No."

"She sounds like a lovely and generous woman. She cares for you so much that she would do that to some man for you, and is kind enough to others to not follow through on that fact."

"That's possessive and creepy, not romantic," Ty Lee insists.

Her sexy stranger cackles. She has such a wicked laugh; note to self: work on that. "Possessive and creepy _is_ romantic. Or at least sexy. One of those."

Ty Lee thinks it over for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table. It makes her drink splash around within the cup.

"If you tell _anyone_ I agreed to this, I will cut your nails off."

Her sexy stranger smirks. "You're terrible at threats."

Ty Lee changes her mind. "I don't think you're getting lucky tonight."

"Well, this is the place for luckless people. I broke a mirror once and I'm only five years in."

"I didn't take you for a superstitious woman." Ty Lee cannot fight back her smile. Remembering why she is angry is a challenge.

"You don't know me very well, do you?"

"I'd like to know you," Ty Lee sings softly.

"In what sense of the word?"

A brief groan from the former Kyoshi Warrior. "Okay, that was somewhat smooth. If you tell _anyone_ that I agreed to this, I will cut your tongue out."

Her sexy stranger stands up and the bartender flinches from across the room. "That is my worst fear and how dare you even suggest such a disgusting and soulless thing. It's things like that that made your wife break up with you."

Ty Lee laughs her girlish, way-too-innocent-seeming laugh. "I broke up with her."

"You never told me why you broke up with her." Her sexy stranger sits down beside her again.

Ty Lee glares. "Because reasons."

Without an ounce of sarcasm, her sexy stranger purrs, "So you've forgotten as you sit in the shadows of my radiance? There's no shame in it. Who wouldn't lose their senses while in my presence?"

"I think I know why your wife left you." Ty Lee cannot keep this up much longer.

"No, I think you know why my wife married me. She knew what she was getting into."

"You're so charming," says Ty Lee sarcastically. "Let's go make out. Our secret."

Azula turns to the intimidated bartender and whispers, "I didn't think that would work."

* * *

 **Yeah, that definitely wasn't a twist ending. I suck at mysteriousness.**


	6. Candy

_###_

 _Candy_

 _###_

Azula sits on the steel floor of her cabin. She is on the ship back from the greatest victory in Fire Nation history – _her_ victory. But what is she spending her time doing? Fixated on a single-player tile game while one of her two best friends sits and eats sugar glass.

 _Loudly_.

Talking to Ty Lee does not seem wise to Azula. They had an awkward moment in Ba Sing Se that Azula would like to remain secret. Permanently.

Something along the lines of Ty Lee saying she was in love with Azula in a romantic way, and Azula openly denying her own feelings for the sake of… what? Azula fears nothing, so she cannot understand why fear held her back.

She does hold back with most things, ever since she realized how quickly fire can burn out of her control. That is what she must remember when evaluating her private, secret feelings about Ty Lee.

That said, the evening is going mostly well. If it were not for the crunching on candy that Azula would never eat. The _sound_ is _infuriating_ but Azula remains composed. Flipping tiles, flipping tiles… Crunch… crunch… crunch…

"Will you stop that before I throw you overboard?" Azula shrieks, causing Ty Lee to almost choke.

"Sorry," Ty Lee says with her mouth full. She swallows, which is as painful as if she were eating real glass and not candy. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to enjoy spoils of war."

Ty Lee gives a bright, innocuous smile that she seems to think remedies everything.

Azula stares at her for a moment. Ty Lee's lips glisten with small shards of broken candy. Ty Lee does like lick them like a normal person would, probably because she is waiting and watching Azula like a scared small animal.

"I forgive you," Azula at last says. Ty Lee does not look away. Azula does not look away either.

Ty Lee remembers herself first. "D-do you want some?"

She shakes the half-eaten back. It looks quite sticky.

"I don't eat candy," Azula says coldly.

"Why not?" Ty Lee inquires.

"Because my father thinks it is unwise, and I believe my father is right about most everything."

"I won't tell him if you do. It would be our secret."

"Mhm?" Azula cocks an eyebrow. "Maybe I'll try it."

She feels too cocky. That is bad, but she does not stop herself from walking across the cabin. She does briefly consider how stupid what she is about to do is, but her thoughts are crushed by her hormones and she kisses Ty Lee on her sweet lips anyway.

Azula bites down before reluctantly pulling away. She thinks she did just eat some of that sugar glass.

"Will that be our secret too?"

Ty Lee stares blankly before nodding. "My lips are sealed. And not just from this sticky sugar."

"And you won't tell my father about _this_?" Azula whispers before beginning to untie her own shirt.

"What's _this_?" The shirt is gone now. "Oh. Oh, it's that." Ty Lee tries not to be as excited as she is. "No, I will not tell your father about that."

Ty Lee now is assured that Azula probably likes her back, since she has pushed Ty Lee onto the floor and is on top of her.

Azula does always lie.

Especially about her feelings, it seems.

* * *

 **Should I extend this into a full lemon? I started writing one but then I liked the "Azula does always lie" line I wrote and felt the chapter stopped there. But if people would be interested in reading it, I'd love to write it.**


	7. Marathon

_###_

 _Marathon_

 _###_

"Azula, what's wrong?" Ty Lee whispers. She looks up from her pillow to see her girlfriend pacing in the night of the moon. "Azula." Ty Lee sits up further. "Azula."

Ty Lee is visiting from Kyoshi Island. The first two days of their reunions would best be described as sex marathons. It is the word Ty Lee would use at least. Fitting three months of sex in three days is far more exerting than _running_.

They are only on day two, and it looks to be interrupted in a troubling way.

"Nothing," Azula lies. Ty Lee sees right through it; she knows her too well.

"It's something." Ty Lee stands, wrapping a silk sheet around herself as make-shift clothes.

She crosses the room and touches Azula's shoulders. It stops the princess from pacing, at least, but Azula's bent lips and hollow stare remain.

"Nothing but a nightmare," Azula says. Ty Lee rubs her arm, because she knows it must be worse than that.

"What was it about?" Ty Lee inquires, slowly creeping closer to Azula. Azula stops her by holding her hips about a foot apart.

"Nothing of importance. You should mind your own business and we should just continue," Azula says but Ty Lee can feel the cold sweat.

"It's our secret. I've been fucking you for like two days. You can tell me stuff and I won't tell anybody," Ty Lee says warmly. Her glittering eyes and hopeful lips are features that even the powerful Princess Azula can resist.

"I dreamt about running and running and trying to save a person. I didn't reach her in time, and I, well, she died in front of me," Azula admits.

She does not use names, but Ty Lee is not being self-centered when she knows it is her. But Azula wants it to stay quiet and secret within her, so Ty Lee does not mention it.

"I'm sorry," Ty Lee whispers, pushing past Azula's grip and kissing her on the lips. It breaks and Ty Lee tries not to cry. "I don't know how to help you. I don't know how to deal with you. I don't know how to fix your nightmares. I just listen like a dummy and fuck you like a horrible person and—"

"Shut up," Azula says sweetly, caressing Ty Lee's face as she pushes her away again. "That's why I l-l- _like_ you. I don't have enough people in my life who would rather listen like dummies instead of try to fix my head."

Ty Lee smiles, and unwraps the sheet around her.


	8. Bloom

_###_

 _Bloom_

 _###_

"I am sorry that I lied to you. I am," Azula lies, tapping at the flowers that she knows will work. It succeeds at drawing Ty Lee's attention away from the situation. "It was wrong of me."

Ty Lee finds it impossible to believe that Azula regrets her actions. She can tell the princess is making this up, but it is kind of sweet that Azula would pretend to be remorseful. Ty Lee will let her think that she has won.

Mostly because she _does_ love flowers. Especially those cute pink ones that are so swirly.

"I forgive you." Ty Lee seizes the bouquet.

It will be her little secret that she let Azula win.

As if they don't both know.


	9. Frantic

_###_

 _Frantic_

 _#_

 _But the other woman will always cry herself to sleep  
The other woman will never have his love to keep  
And as the years go by the other woman  
Will spend her life alone  
_" _The Other Woman," Lana Del Rey_

 _###_

Their meetings are frantic.

Azula finds them to be the best moments of her life. She is a prisoner and Ty Lee belongs to someone else. Belongs to her own brother, but Ty Lee promises and promises that she married him so she could stay close to Azula.

They are not supposed to be fumbling with each other in the dark shadows. The mistakes are so easy to make, torn clothes, twisted hair, tattooed lipstick and bruises. Ty Lee explains them away, because Azula is her deepest secret.

But her most beloved one too.

And Azula's deepest secret is Ty Lee.

There is a difference, however.

When their frantic clawing and kissing and perfection comes to an end, Ty Lee has a quaint family to return to. She has a husband to lie to and children who light up her life much more than that girl she got hung up on decades ago.

She spends her life in imagined shackles and sees the sunlight too often.

 _"You're perfect."_

Azula supposes she must be perfect to Ty Lee, because Ty Lee has a perfect life.

When their frantic clawing and kissing and perfection comes to an end, Azula is alone in the darkness. She returns to herself and cries herself to sleep.

She spends her life imprisoned and alone.


	10. Daddy

_###_

 _Daddy_

 _###_

Azula wakes from the same nightmare again. Directly after her infant daughter started sleeping through the night, she starts having the night terrors again. Perhaps Azula is not destined to sleep.

She feels cold sweat dry on her skin and give her chills. For a moment, she feels oddly self-conscious; she wonders if Ty Lee can feel the soaked sheets. She turns over, having no desire to get up.

She then turns to face Ty Lee again, because she does not like it when she imagines the breath on her neck to be someone else.

"Azula," Ty Lee murmurs. "Why are you up?"

"No reason," Azula whispers. "About nothing that should concern you, sweetheart."

Ty Lee frowns.

"Are you mad at me? You were mad at me for _hours_ and I thought maybe you were over it," Ty Lee says quietly.

"I am not," Azula says.

"I talked to your brother."

"Why?" Azula snaps, sitting up straight.

"He said he felt scared about some stuff with Izumi. I understand why you don't want to give her a bath and I'm not—"

"No. You don't understand."

"Yes. I do." Ty Lee closes her eyes. "Maybe I don't. I just hear about it. Are those rumors true? You don't have to say it." She holds out her hand and touches Azula's fingers to it. "Trace yes, trace no. I would never tell anybody. I keep your secrets and you keep mine. That's how we work."

Azula's heart races like she is in the middle of an Agni Kai. She thinks she might vomit; she gags. But she is no coward, so she traces yes.

Ty Lee is silent.

"I know that you're not him, even though everybody says you are, but I promise I will never let you feel uncomfortable again."

"You can protect me from our daughter but you can't protect me from my head."

"I wish I could. I always have wished I could."

Azula pretends to sleep.

Ty Lee takes her into her arms and does not let go.

Princess Azula has never felt so safe.


	11. Island

_###_

 _Island_

 _###_

 _I'm tired of getting caught up in those one night affairs  
What I really need is somebody who will always be there  
Don't you promise me the world all that I've already heard  
This time around for me, baby, actions speak louder than words  
_" _Show Me Love" – Robin S._

 _###_

Ty Lee does not anticipate what happens at the party. She arrived on the island excited for Zuko's bash but that vanished the moment that she saw that Azula is here. Now Ty Lee mills through the crowd and can barely hold up a conversation. Sometimes her ex-girlfriend is gone.

But Ty Lee can't help but think about the last time they were at a party on Ember Island. It preoccupies her mind entirely, because it brings up those _might have been_ dreams or nightmares that come with every memory of Princess Azula.

She does successfully avoid Azula, until she spills a drink all over the princess. She didn't know who she splashed until she turns around. Azula does not look very angry about it, but Ty Lee finds the nearest cloth napkin and wordlessly starts trying to fix it.

Ty Lee does not realize exactly the location of the spill until Azula begins stepping backwards. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, five steps:

"Please wait!" Ty Lee calls out over the raucous room.

Azula does not take kindly to orders, but she stands still and faces Ty Lee.

"I have plenty of clothes. This does not bother me," Azula says, and this time Ty Lee does not know how to get her to turn around again.

She did avoid Azula, and that sacrifice kills her inside.

Ty Lee needs to get out of here. She needs to get out of here, and so she pushes herself through the hot party and walks out into the cold night. She walks past the partygoers and walks down to the water.

She does not know why she came here, but it is definitely far away from where she was. No one sees the flush on her cheeks in the moonlight.

"Maybe you do want to help me fix that spill."

Ty Lee shrieks. "You can't just _do that_!"

"Do what?"

"Sneak up on people. It's scary!"

"Oh, you're still scared of me? You've never been."

That isn't true. Maybe they both know that, or maybe only Ty Lee does.

"Let's walk," Ty Lee says awkwardly. Azula consents and they head down the beach until they feel very far away from the chaos that made them collide again after so long.

Once they are truly alone, Ty Lee speaks first.

"I have a secret," Ty Lee says.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Ty Lee doesn't know how to say it. It's a deep, dark one. "I've been trying to avoid you all night because I was doing a really good job pretending not to be super in love with you. I was with so many people but I think this kind of thing only happens once."

"How romantic. I am afraid I don't feel the same way."

Ty Lee glares at her. "Yes, you do. Or you wouldn't have been watching me all sad and stuff during the party."

Azula did have the most wistful of expressions for a solid hour. Ty Lee saw it then and she will never forget it. Like so many images of her previous life with Azula, the picture is burned into her eyes. It will not go away easily like most fleeting affairs.

"Come fix what you did to my clothes," Azula says, walking out towards the water and stripping off the stained shirt that probably cannot be salvaged no matter what happens.

Ty Lee follows her, because why wouldn't she?

Azula has the same secret as Ty Lee, and she knows, because nobody kisses somebody they don't love the way Azula kisses her in the ice cold ocean.


	12. Sky

_###_

 _Sky_

 _###_

"No one will notice," Ty Lee says, swinging a ring of keys around her finger. She is rather good at doing that. She is _very_ good at making far too much noise for a jailbreak. "I'll put you back in before morning. It's like sneaking out but you never would sneak out."

"Now, who were you sneaking out with if not me?" Azula purrs. She considers Ty Lee's plan to be dubious, and she has very few days left in this cell. But since she might just be put into a worse one, depending on a variety of officials, she decides risks are worth taking.

"Nobody." Ty Lee winks.

"Now, tell me what exactly I need to see?" Azula asks while Ty Lee inserts the key into the lock. "It must be extremely important."

"Oh, it is."

"It better be worth it."

"It will be!" Ty Lee speaks so loudly that Azula thinks it will be a wonder if they make it five steps out. "We're headed to the roof, my princess."

Ty Lee holds out a hand.

Azula silently declines the offer.

* * *

Azula finally makes it up onto the roof of the jail. She enjoys the sensation of fresh air, but that is not worth it. What is worth it? The stunning sky.

"You broke me out of jail to show me flying lanterns?" Azula asks. It may be beautiful to look at, but it _is_ a trivial reason to put so much on the line.

"Yes. They're super pretty and you _will_ appreciate how pretty they are if you don't want me to push you off of this roof," Ty Lee says.

"They are fine. Nothing more," Azula lies.

No, they are stunning. They are so breathtaking that she feels infinitesimally small. And, somehow, that is not a bad thing.

Ty Lee reaches out and takes Azula's hand in hers. The princess feels uneasy about it, but the sky has made her heart swell several sizes. Azula turns to Ty Lee. The Kyoshi Warrior has her eyes glued to the heavens and the heavenly lights.

"I love you," Ty Lee whispers. She watches one paper lantern fall. It's barely noticeable, but she notices.

Azula never knows how to respond to that statement Ty Lee is so fond of. She decides that actions speak louder than words, and so she takes Ty Lee by the waist and kisses her. The cold air rustles through their hair as their lips seal.

When the kiss breaks, Azula and Ty Lee stare at each other for a moment.

They kiss again, and a few times more than that.

"There's a really good way for you to spend the hour before I lock you back up in there," Ty Lee whispers, removing her own shirt.

Azula agrees.


	13. Lethal

_###_

 _Lethal_

 _###_

"Should I kill him?" Azula asks, letting the sheets pressed against her skin loosen. She is much too involved in this conversation to pay attention to such things. "I'll keep your answer secret, I promise."

"No," Ty Lee says, sounding so _certain._

"I'm teasing you," Azula half-lies. She is not quite certain.

"No, you aren't and you're capable of killing him. So no." Ty Lee pouts.

"So are you," Azula says, locking eyes with her lover. "You are _almost_ as lethal as I am. So, do it. Would you not kill someone for me?"

"I have before, and it's not as sexy as it sounds."

" _Oh_ , but that was as a _soldier_ ," Azula dismisses, waving a hand and shaking her head very slowly, very regally, very melodramatically. "That is so mundane and pathetic. None of that counts as murdering someone just because you want to be fucking me more than you want to be fucking them."

"Why do I even like you?" Ty Lee whispers, although she knows a thousand reasons why. And a thousand reasons why she _shouldn't_ like Azula, but that is a story for another day.

"Because I am wholly irresistible despite all of your pretend shame."

"Wait – let's reverse this for once."

"That could have more than one interpretation…"

Ty Lee cuts that sexy joke off. She asks with all of her heart, "Would you kill someone to have me?"

"Yes."

"You didn't even think about that!" Ty Lee exclaims, abandoning the blankets to be closer to this complete lunatic with completely enticing eyes and a perfect body and no husband that she is cheating on.

"That should be a good thing, love. Your hesitation offends me to the soul." Azula places her hand over where her heart should be. Ty Lee thinks it is extremely cute when she should not.

"I don't know. I mean, I would kind of more like want to ask you to kill someone for me because then we both win." Ty Lee grins.

"Killing your husband, that is?" Azula very reasonably very much dislikes the fact that her girlfriend married someone almost as bad as Zuko. It was quite the thousandth betrayal, but Azula kept pursuing her. Partially to spite that water peasant but _really_ …

"No. Just because I don't love somebody anymore doesn't mean I'm going to kill them." Ty Lee crosses her arms and pretends to be self-righteous.

"Your loss." Azula sighs and lies back down.

The room suffers from silence for a moment before Ty Lee gets too curious.

"How would you even get away with it?" she whispers.

"I always get away with it in the end." Azula knows a thousand ways to avoid consequences. She knew by the time she was two.

"Yeah. That's so right. You never have seen, like, any repercussions for your actions, have you?" Ty Lee remarks, thinking about it deeply. Yeah, it was just something _about her_.

"And I hope I never will."

"Could you live without me?" Ty Lee asks.

"Yes."

"Hey! You should've hesitated at that one."

"You married someone else in my absence. You pretended I didn't even exist to soothe your aching conscience—"

"Azula, just because you get away with murder doesn't mean that everybody should feel bad about trying to make you see justice."

"You could live without me."

"Not after I had you. That's, like, without loving you at all and stuff it's so easy but then when I _get to_ and it gets _taken away_ I would have so much trouble with that."

"Could you live without him?" Azula asks, despite knowing the answer. _Yes_.

"How long are we going to discuss murdering my husband?" Ty Lee wants to talk about it all night, but she refuses to let Azula win that easily.

"I think he's pathetic and pales in comparison to me, and I don't know why anyone would ever have sex with him, much less someone as attractive as you. Even you deserve better."

"Even me?" Ty Lee cocks an eyebrow but it is too dark for Azula to see.

"I hold impressive grudges."

Ty Lee sighs loudly. "I forgive people way too easily."

"We remarkably balance each other out in numerous ways. I need all of you to myself and that is my final offer."

"He says he loves me. You don't," Ty Lee says.

That was what began the discussion about killing him; Ty Lee saying that she needed Azula to tell her she loved her, tell her this was serious, tell her she would not regret abandoning her less-lethal and less-insane husband.

"That is not any measure of compatibility." It is, but Ty Lee lets Azula get away with saying it.

"I love you."

"I refuse to respond."

"I love you."

"Stop saying that."

"I love you."

"I would feel sad if you were murdered. Are you satisfied with my answer?"

"It's close enough for me," Ty Lee whispers.

She smiles to herself until she falls asleep.


	14. Heroes

_###_

 _Heroes_

 _###_

"See, aren't walks super fun? Nature and each other and other stuff," Ty Lee says excitedly. Her eyes glitter and Azula feels sickened by it.

She did not want to go on this walk; she was coerced by _Ty Lee_. Azula can't believe this. She was persuaded into something this awful by _Ty Lee_. Well, she's pretty and a good kisser. Azula will give her that. And her methods of persuasion are ones Azula has never used before. They are somewhat impressive.

"If you say so," Azula replies, and she does not know why. Lying about kindness towards people makes her stomach burn and her jaw hurt.

As she walks across stones above a smoothly flowing brook, she stumbles and catches herself, but Ty Lee's hand flies out and grabs Azula by the arm. The princess pretends that Ty Lee has rescued her and she thinks someone should punch her in the face for it.

"I know you hate this walk," Ty Lee says and Azula silently keeps maneuvering over the rocks. "It is the nicest thing ever that you came with me. See, you have a total heart of gold underneath your really terrible exterior. I mean, not your looks, I mean, you're the most beautiful person in all of history – and I'm not exaggerating about that."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I kindly sacrifice myself for the good of others constantly," Azula says, setting a hand over where her heart should be.

Ty Lee can only giggle about it with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Yes, you're the most selfless person in the whole world."

"I am a princess and you should not mock me. I am certain there is a law that will allow me to execute you for sarcasm."

"Actually, yeah, there probably are. But you wouldn't do it." Ty Lee steps onto shore as the brook widens. Azula follows. "You love me and I know you do."

"If that is what you want to tell yourself," Azula says and Ty Lee slowly shakes her head. "What? Any love story is just your overactive imagination, and obsession with me, of course."

"My obsession with you?" Ty Lee grins. Then it fades. "Yeah, that's actually probably true too."

Ty Lee stops walking and Azula freezes. She moves as if they are about to be attacked by an animal, and Azula moves her feet to fight.

"What?" Azula whispers.

"Look. It's a little animal and it's stuck," Ty Lee replies. She does not approach the fluffy creature, however, for fear of being bitten and infected with a disease.

"It's in a hunter's snare, and we should not disturb it," Azula says, and then she realizes the opportunity. She is _far_ better at manipulating Ty Lee than Ty Lee is at manipulating her.

Azula jumps down onto the bank and goes to undo the snare. She avoids the animal's maw, because she is not getting attacked by a wild animal trying to trick a girl into thinking she is heroic.

The animal remains there, sitting. Azula thinks it is going to die, and she wonders if she should distract Ty Lee and escape.

But it starts to walk, and then scampers away. Azula looks at the snare and sees that there is not a drop of blood.

This hunter clearly is terrible and deserves to have an animal released.

Azula stands back up and accepts the thrilled kiss.

This is far too easy.

* * *

 **This isn't M rated anymore because I feel that it's PG-13 and I don't anticipate any lemons or strong violence in the future. This still will have adult themes (there already are some) but nothing that I think deserves that high of a rating.**

 **And to finish it off: thank you for reading!**


	15. Fast

_###_

 _Fast_

 _###_

They are not racing.

That wouldn't make any sense. Competition was a bad idea in general for the two girls.

They are running.

That doesn't make any sense either. Running for no reason was a ridiculous idea.

It occurs to Ty Lee when she rounds a corner and narrowly avoids a head on collision with a tree that she is chasing Azula. The fact that it is both figurative and literal is a bit sad, and maybe a bit sweet. Ty Lee chases her romantically and gets nowhere; at least when she chases her through the vast courtyards she gets somewhere.

The two girls hit a hill and Azula quickly stops. Ty Lee screams. She falls onto Azula, smashing into her back and sending her tumbling.

Azula catches herself, scorching the grass in the process. Ty Lee does not know if she can handle the pain in her leg from kicking her foot into the dirt to save herself from breaking her neck.

"I have to get you back for that, you realize," Azula says. She does not get up off of her back. "I really can't just let someone get away with knocking me down a hill."

"I don't know why you wouldn't get me back for it." Ty Lee shrugs and loses her footing.

Azula pushes her by the arm and she falls. It is extremely fun to tumble when it is not a surprise and is at a non-terrifying pace. She hits the ground and looks up at the princess, who has not gotten up yet.

She stands up and walks down the hill and Ty Lee frowns.

"Why do you look so miserable?" Azula demands, standing over her.

"You got up and walked down here. You should've completely fallen. It's fun!" Ty Lee chirps blithely.

"I have enough bruises from you pushing me to my death." Azula holds out a hand. Ty Lee reaches for it and she pulls it away, smirking, shrugging, and walking away.

"You can't get me back twice!" Ty Lee whines before staring at her feet. She should not have spoken to this girl like that. Bad things are about to happen.

"Oh, that wasn't getting you back," Azula says, and Ty Lee is bothered by the lack of malice. "I have no idea what you expected when I offered you any help. When have I ever done anything nice for you?"

"A lot of things!" Ty Lee calls and Azula turns around. She sets a finger to her lips, because this is quite entertaining. "Mostly existing. But probably other things that I can't think of yet!"

"Mostly existing?" Azula asks, walking towards Ty Lee again. "That is an incredible feat of mine, and a grand favor to you."

"I don't like to think about my life if I never met you," Ty Lee says, and it is fifty percent because she does not want to suffer wrath and fifty percent because Azula looks super sexy from every angle and fifty percent because she's her best friend.

"Now, that's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Azula purrs.

"More than a little. I _am_ pretty dramatic. I don't think anybody has ever been as…" Ty Lee changes her mind about that.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing."

" _What_?" That time is definitely not a request.

"Please, please, please don't tell anybody. And please, please, please don't get mad," Ty Lee whispers, wide-eyed.

"I can't make any promises about how I will react to your secret, but I will tentatively promise to keep it a secret." Azula has absolutely no intentions of keeping this secret.

"I don't think anybody has ever been as…"

"This is _painful_. Spit it out."

"I don't think anybody has ever been as in love with anybody as I am in love with you!"

"I thought you wanted to keep that a secret."

"I do."

"Then why did you scream it so loudly?"

"It was hard to say."

"Yes. It is extremely dramatic and probably not true. But I am not mad."

"That's good."

Azula holds out a hand to help Ty Lee up.

" _And_ you fall for that again. You aren't the brightest candle on the chandelier, are you?" Azula pulls her hand away and turns to leave while Ty Lee falls onto the ground again.

She does not turn back this time, because she has to hide her faint smile.


	16. Toys

_###_

 _Toys_

 _###_

Ty Lee cannot believe what Azula just asked her. Yes, Ty Lee would take back their illicit affair for nothing. It has been one of the best things that has happened to her in years, but that does not absolve the woman in front of her of her crimes.

Azula is beyond undeserving of Ty Lee, and it took Ty Lee over a decade to figure that out.

She didn't admit it to herself until Azula asked her to break off her engagement to a wonderful man and marry her instead. It was not a request; it was an order.

Ty Lee has loved her for as long as she can remember and always will, but she is not as stupid as people think she is.

She can only respond to that demand, "You didn't ever have friends; you had toys. You didn't ever have lovers; you had toys. I honestly always felt super special and stuff, but you make a lot of people feel super special and stuff. I'm… I can't commit myself to you when I'm really sure I'm just another toy to you."

Azula does not seem to care. "I told you that you are different. I have told you a thousand times."

No, she does care, Ty Lee notices. She just thinks she is justified and Ty Lee is crazy.

"You've _never_ told me a thousand important things that would make me believe you," Ty Lee says, standing up straighter. She feels like a dragon. "I am not leaving my life and breaking off my other engagement to get engaged to you of all people when I know I am a _toy_."

"Stop saying that. It sounds too sexual," Azula snaps.

"It _is_ sexual!" Ty Lee screams.

She does not care if everyone in Caldera hears her.

"Not entirely. We also talk to each other and go places," Azula says.

"The appropriate answer would be that I am your _girlfriend_."

Azula cocked an eyebrow. "That is a very strong word—"

"You just demanded that I marry you! And you think _girlfriend_ is a strong word!"

Ty Lee cannot slow down her heartbeat. She thinks she might die of anger and she does not even know where it came from.

"I do not see a problem with that," Azula says and her honesty is more disgusting than her lies. At least she is kind when she is dishonest.

Ty Lee shrieks and drags her nails down her own face. "Are you just mocking me? No, you're playing with me. See, this is what I'm talking about."

"What am I supposed to tell you? That I have never loved anyone before other than you and that I think you would be a fantastic empress of everything and that you are important in my life? All of that is a lie." Azula does not sound so confident anymore.

Ty Lee thinks she might mean that, but the fact that she cannot say it upfront drains it of meaning.

"What I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about," Ty Lee says, her face bright red and her stance uneasy.

"Fine. Tell me what to say, if I keep saying the wrong thing."

"'I love you' would be a good place to start after like a decade waiting for you to say that," Ty Lee whispers lividly.

With a shift in overconfidence, Azula replies, "Those are also some very strong words."

"This is a waste of time," Ty Lee says, even though she so desperately wishes that were not true. She thinks Azula does love her, but if she can never show it or admit it, it does not matter. "I am going to go home to the person I am already engaged to and I'm never going to ever see you again."

"Well, that would be difficult. You kept seeing me when we hated each other in the past."

"I never hated you! I have literally never hated you before no matter what awful thing you did!"

"That is a very flawed way of thinking."

Ty Lee is stunned speechless. But she gathers herself up and finally says, "I'm leaving. I'm leaving right now."

"You never mean that." Azula sounds… hopeful. She sounds afraid and vulnerable and Ty Lee does not know if it is real or not.

She knows if she ever loved her fiancé, she would not have held this secret love with Azula for so long, but she does not know if that makes Azula right for her. Maybe it just proves that Ty Lee sucks at picking out her romantic partners.

And that thought makes her even angrier than before. "I so mean it. I have never meant anything as much as I mean this. This is my breaking point!" Ty Lee screams and Azula murmurs something. "What? If you just said something mean about me under your breath I will beat you up before I leave and go back to my fiancée."

"I said that I… I said that you can call yourself my girlfriend if you stay," Azula lies.

Ty Lee shakes her head. "I think I'm having a heart attack."

"A good heart attack?"

" _No_!"

"I love… the nice things you do for me."

"They're stopping right now! I'm done doing nice things for you!" Ty Lee thinks of the things Azula has done for her, and she wants to pretend that none were valid, but many of them were. No, no, Azula is the past. Ty Lee should let go of the past.

"You cannot tell anyone what I am about to say or accidents will happen but I love you. Most of the time." Azula rolls her eyes. "I love you all the time. Is that better? I have no idea why you think I would ask you to marry me if I didn't. That is how I told you I loved you."

"I think you mean that," Ty Lee quietly admits. She wishes this would not be so complicated. She wishes that people were transparent or strictly good and evil. It never is as simple as Ty Lee wants it to be.

"I do mean that," Azula says. "I have never done anything to you that would suggest otherwise after childhood, and really, in childhood we both were terrible people."

"We still are terrible people."

"I know."

"Terrible people who _love each other_."

"Fine. If you say so."

Ty Lee wants to leave again, but she cannot bring herself to do it. "You never fail to poison beautiful things. I am going to kiss you right now, but that doesn't mean I'm not mad."

It does not stop at a kiss.


	17. Caregiver

_###_

 _Caregiver_

 _###_

"Do you like cats?" asks a ten-year-old Ty Lee.

The conversation had died down and she needed to say something. She was going to keep quiet about her new pets, but she was too terrified of experiencing a dead silence with the princess. Those are intimidating enough with non-powerful people.

"They're fine," Azula answers. "I don't do pets, and cats are mostly suitable as pets."

"Why don't you do pets?" Ty Lee asks innocently. She wonders if she sounds too accusatory after the fact, but she also knows that there is only one thing she overthinks, and that is talking to this girl with whom she is too in love.

"My father doesn't allow them," Azula replies. "He probably has good reasons."

"Oh. I'm sure too," Ty Lee says, because treason is stupid and she is no _that_ stupid. "Do you want to meet these amazing cats? They're strays that live outside my house and I wasn't supposed to feed them because my parents say they have too many kids to have any pets, but I fed them anyway, so now they come out every time I call for them. I named them, see, so now I can't just stop taking care of them."

"Yes; naming something makes it harder to kill it," Azula says.

Ty Lee smiles.

"So… do you wanna come see my secret kitties?" Ty Lee smiles like a hopeful toddler asking for fire gummies.

"I am feeling generous today," Azula says. "Alright."

They both know she wants to see those cats, and Ty Lee thinks she probably will even pet them, but Azula will never admit it and Ty Lee will never mention it.

Nothing brings two friends closer than secrets. The more the better.


	18. Apple

_###_

 _APPLE_

 _###_

"He won't mind," Azula says. She pulls the half-consumed red apple from Ty Lee's hand.

Ty Lee could not resist going to Azula before her own wedding. She couldn't leave it unknown, leave herself wondering for the rest of eternity. She couldn't resist eating the fruit from the collapsing courtyard tree as she waited for her princess either.

"He'd mind," Ty Lee says, stepping closer and closer. She ignores Azula's adverse reaction to being corrected.

"Then run into his arms," Azula says, as if she does not care either way. She can smell the fruit on Ty Lee's breath and feel how real this is. She does not know if she wants it to be real or not.

"He'd mind, but I don't care," Ty Lee says. "I want to do this no matter the consequences."

She kisses Azula.

Ty Lee tastes like the strong and sweet apple that Azula lets fall to the ground.

It will be consumed by vile creatures like Azula and Ty Lee will be consumed by their vile desire.


	19. Thief

_###_

 _Thief_

 _###_

Azula looks at Ty Lee. They are in the midst of a sleepover and Ty Lee is knocked out cold. She always had an easy time sleeping. Azula has always woken early and fallen asleep late, a nightmare from the combination of being a firebender and being under perpetual pressure.

She does not think she will ever be able to fall asleep tonight. She keeps glancing at Ty Lee over and over again.

Ty Lee looks very beautiful. Not as beautiful as Azula, but very beautiful, and appealing in a way that Azula just does not get.

Azula leans down and then sits back up. No, she cannot do that.

Then Azula leans down again, now not holding back, and she kisses Ty Lee on the lips.

She pulls away quickly, stunned at herself.

But Azula does not regret stealing that kiss, and she never will.


	20. Blindfold

_###_

 _Blindfold_

 _###_

"If you tell anyone about this," Azula threatens, her eyes burning, "I will be forced to kill you."

Ty Lee unwraps the fabric from her own wrist. They stare at each other for a moment, because trying new things is a new concept. It is so much easier to just do what they have always done, but when thinking up something spicier, Azula had some interesting suggestions.

Interesting suggestions that Ty Lee will not tell a soul. She thinks it is kind of exciting that the princess who has never let her be in control of anything—down to her hair style—wants to lose control.

Blindfold, bondage, best night ever.

Or so Ty Lee hopes. She is kind of terrified as Azula refuses to let her tie the blindfold.

The princess might not have as easy of a time relinquishing control as she thinks she will, but it is not Ty Lee's place to say so.


	21. Anatomy

_###_

 _Anatomy_

 _###_

Ty Lee loves taking on the role of stylist. A stylist to royalty, or, more importantly, a stylist to her friend. She hates watching people dress up Azula or do her nails when Ty Lee is fabulous at it… and really likes any excuse to touch her lifelong crush.

"Fix the dress," Azula orders and Ty Lee takes a few moments to figure out what needs to be fixed.

It requires a little bit of sewing, which Ty Lee can do. For fun. For fun, of course. She—she's way too rich to ever have needed to do that or anything. Or so she tells everyone else and occasionally herself.

Ty Lee touches Azula's shoulder as she fixes the sleeves. The sash is to die for and a beautiful hue of red that Ty Lee has never seen before in her life. She touches Azula's waist as she takes that in a little and touches her hips by accident. That last one aches the most.

"Alright, now to take it off," Azula says, smirking. It is a _knowing_ smirk, and Ty Lee wonders if Azula sees right through her. Well, if she does, it means Ty Lee checking her out is welcome, which would be marvelous news.

Princess Azula walks across the room and then glances at Ty Lee.

"Close your eyes and I will have you executed if you peek," she says and Ty Lee does.

She cannot help but open them for a moment. It is not as if she hasn't seen Azula before, but this very private, secret way of examining her anatomy makes Ty Lee's heart race. She feels her skin heat up and then feels panic when Azula turns around.

Ty Lee squeezes her eyes shut again, and hopes that Azula won't ever know.

"Keep your eyes closed," Azula orders and Ty Lee obeys.

Azula rewards her supposed compliance with a kiss.

Ty Lee nearly faints.


	22. Heartsick

_###_

 _Heartsick_

 _###_

Thunder crashes in Caldera. The storm has been brewing all day, causing agonizing suspense within the city. Clouds slowly rolled in from the water, like a curse from the Earth Kingdom. Now they all have ruptured.

Azula hides indoors, wishing she were alone. She tries not to listen to Ty Lee, and Ty Lee tries not to talk as much as she is right now. It makes her nervous.

Before the rain started, they did something that they could never revoke. They kissed.

 _Our secret_ , said Azula.

 _Of course_ , said Ty Lee.

If it had happened minutes earlier, they could have run away. They could have gone home and let their hearts hurt until they became numb. That was how this always worked.

Azula coughs.

Ty Lee stops talking.

"What?" demands the princess, stifling a sneeze.

"I just hope you didn't get sick being out in the rain," Ty Lee says, edging closer to the hearth.

Azula has dried off by being in front of the fire. Ty Lee still is soaked.

"I'm sure I'm fine," Azula says. "There are worse things than a cough."

"Yeah." Ty Lee does not know what the princess means by that, but she probably does not want to know.

Being sick for two weeks would be preferable to the pain and discomfort right now.


	23. Paint

_###_

 _Paint_

 _###_

Ty Lee walks into a crime scene and screams.

Blood all over the walls of her precious baby girl's nursery. She thinks she might faint, until she sees the stick in her daughter's small hand.

"You put the paint on the wrong side of the brush. Or, uh, you put it on all of the brush, I guess…" Ty Lee's eyes flickered up and down.

She snatched up her daughter and went to find a servant to draw a bath.

"I promise not to tell mother about your painting on walls," Ty Lee whispers, trying to be the fun parent for once.

Her daughter tosses the paintbrush onto the floor and begins a tantrum.

 _#_

Azula loses the fight over tucking her daughter in.

She manages to get the writhing little girl into her bed and binds her to it with soft sheets. Azula stands and sees blood dripping from the wall. She subtly touches it, because she has never quite conquered dizzy hallucinations.

"It's paint," squeaks her little girl. "I painted the wall."

"Oh. Very… good job." Azula shoves the table in front of the marks. "I won't tell mom."

She is _so_ the fun parent.


	24. Combination

###

 _Combination_

 _#_

 _I go back again  
Fall off the train  
Land in his bed  
Repeat yesterday's mistakes  
"_ _Can't Remember to Forget You," Shakira_

 _###_

Ty Lee should know better. She really, really should.

Waking up beside Azula is nightmarish, because she does it again and again and again. Every time she spends a single second near the princess, she ends up sleeping with her. Azula has made her life miserable for as long as she can remember, but every single time she looks at her, she just sees their happiest moments.

Azula shows only the best side of herself until it is way too late.

Ty Lee probably was seduced by beautiful lies. Azula can make anything sound pretty and perfect, even herself. Especially herself.

Poking Azula, Ty Lee whispers, "Wake up. Please wake up. Please, please wake up."

"I am already awake. Stop poking me," Azula whispers. "You have to promise not to tell anyone about this."

"That's what I was gonna say. How did you know?" Ty Lee sits straight up, stunned.

"Perhaps we agree about something. If that happened more often, perhaps we would not have broken up eight thousand times," Azula hisses, tugging her blankets tighter around herself. "This is when you leave."

"I just woke up." Ty Lee groans. "What are we? Why are we?"

"Those are philosophical questions for you," Azula says. "It's some combination of bad luck and poor choices. Even I make them."

"Or a combination of lies and hotness," Ty Lee says, crossing her arms. She needs to find her clothes.

"I agree," whispers Azula. "Now leave."

Ty Lee pouts. "I have stuff to say and I always listen to you."

"Yes. You do. It is your only redeeming quality. Oh, don't cry."

"How do you see me?"

"I _know_ you, Ty Lee. Now stop delaying the inevitable and leave," Azula whispers.

Ty Lee stands up. She does know an order when she hears one, which is something people always point out to her when they say that Azula is terrible for her. Ty Lee agrees because she is probably sobbing hysterically, and swears off of the princess forever.

Then, like any addict, falls off of the wagon and lands in Azula's bed.


	25. Tropical

_###_

 _Tropical_

 _###_

Azula lies in her bedroom at Lo and Li's house. She hears Mai and Zuko having sex, which she finds oh so _pleasant_. She feels coarse sand in her perfect hair. She smells vile perfume. She sees a dark ceiling and the future ahead of her.

Princess Azula must focus on the Eclipse, and the Comet, and nothing more.

Or so she hopes she can, until Ty Lee knocks on her door and slips inside.

"Hi. I hope I'm not waking you, princess," Ty Lee says demurely.

"Mai and Zuko have kept me up. Is there something you need?" Azula sits up in her bed. Her robe falls open slightly, revealing half of her breasts. It occurs to her to cover up, but she decides against it. Ty Lee _does_ stare, even in the shadows.

"Do you want to go sit on the porch with me?" Ty Lee offers. "Please, princess."

Azula considers the offer and makes her decision.

"I can imagine worse things to do." Azula stands up and tightens her robe.

She and Ty Lee walk through the old house and to the porch. The tropical night warms their skin and the ocean breeze cools it.

"I'm really happy to be here with you before the war ends and stuff changes," Ty Lee says, nervously stroking her braid. Azula watches her movements and wonders why Ty Lee seems so afraid. "I'm really happy to see you no matter what, though. I'm always happy to see you."

"You are not alone. I am always happy to see myself," Azula purrs. Ty Lee touches Azula's hand and then quickly pulls it back. Azula watches her trembling fingers. "Why don't you just tell me what you need to. Watching you be so scared is frustrating."

Ty Lee looks like she is searching for words. Azula waits. The tropical birds sing in the background.

"I'm in love with you," Ty Lee stammers before leaning in and kissing Azula.

Azula pulls away. She leans back in and kisses Ty Lee again.

It feels so much more right than last night.

"Don't tell anyone," Azula whispers.

It is their secret.


	26. Charity

_###_

 _Charity_

 _#_

 _I love to cry at weddings  
Anybody's wedding  
Just as long as it's not mine._

 _"_ _I Love to Cry at Weddings," Sweet Charity_

 _###_

Ty Lee only comes back to the Fire Nation for funerals. She has been building a happy life for herself elsewhere, and she hates to be here. For once, however, she has returned to the Fire Nation for a wedding. She watches her best friend and the Fire Lord wed. Zuko and Mai look so perfect together.

Ty Lee sits near the back, because she does not want them to look at her. She cannot stop crying. It is funny, because she never cries at the funerals; she only cries at the weddings.

Someone slides into the seat beside her.

"You look distraught. Are you sad that you're not getting married?" whispers Ty Lee's ex. The Kyoshi Warrior tries really hard not to sigh and succeeds.

"I love crying at weddings, okay?" Ty Lee hisses, sniffling in. Azula silently laughs. "They make me emotional. Like committing to someone you'll love for the rest of your life is the most beautiful thing on the whole planet."

Azula cannot keep her laughter quiet this time.

"No couple can love each other for the rest of their lives," Azula whispers. "People were not made to have one single partner."

"Well, I've had my boyfriend for a really long time. Have you had anyone for more than one night since I left?"

"I kicked you out, and no, because I have no delusions of romance," Azula whispers. "Although, if he continues refusing to marry you, I will be charitable and marry you. I'm just generous that way."

Ty Lee smiles through her tears.

"I'm gonna take you up on that," Ty Lee whispers. She does not mind Azula's comments about her being a charity case for marriage.

Sitting back here and being scathing bitches just reminds her of why they will love each other until the end of time.


	27. School

_###_

 _School_

 _###_

"We will not get in trouble, Ty Lee, I promise," Azula insists, clenching her fingers tightly on Ty Lee's shoulders. "I am a princess and therefore untouchable. We can skip school and no one will care."

Ty Lee blinks. She wants to protest, but it is Azula, and so that is not an option. If the princess wants her to do something, she does it. They are going to skip school, which is very scary, but Ty Lee does not want to show her fear in front of Princess Azula.

"I'll do whatever you want," Ty Lee says. If Azula says jump, Ty Lee asks how high. "It'll be fun."

"I know," Azula replies, waving for Ty Lee to follow her. The acrobat, of course, complies.

They walk away from their meeting place and climb a fence. Ty Lee clambers over it easier than Azula can and the princess punches her shoulder. Ty Lee winces, and Azula does not apologize.

Finally, they reach the spot Azula likes. Ty Lee sits down beneath the weeping cherry blossom tree.

"This place is nice," Ty Lee chirps, smiling and picking up one of the fallen pink petals.

"My father took me here to practice firebending. I really like it," Azula says and Ty Lee gazes at the grass. She loves it when Azula is open, but it almost never happens.

The princess sits down and Ty Lee continues shredding the petal with her fingers.

"You know," Ty Lee says, her heart pounding. She feels so afraid, but she braved skipping school and so she thinks she can do this, "it's good luck to kiss under cherry blossom trees."

"I already have all the good luck I need," Azula says. Ty Lee blushes and feels like she wants to run away.

Azula sees that change in her posture and skin, and leans in to kiss Ty Lee on the lips.

It is awkward and fast and dry and weird, but it's lovely too.

Their journey here, their afternoon here, their kiss here; those are all their secrets.

 _#_

Azula glares at her baby girl, and Ty Lee crosses her arms.

"How _dare_ you skip school. You bring shame on our entire family," Azula snarls, staring with eyes to rival her father's. It even scares _Ty Lee_ , and petrifies their baby girl.

"I thought it would be fun," says the child.

"That is not a very good defense," Azula darkly replies. Their baby girl whimpers.

"Azula, be easier on her. It's not like you never skipped school," Ty Lee dares to say and Azula shifts that horrifying gaze to her wife.

"I also conquered and enslaved a city; do you want our daughter to do that?" Azula snaps back.

Ty Lee taps her finger on her lips. She then turns to her baby girl.

"Yeah. You should behave better than us!"


	28. Corpse

_###_

 _Corpse_

 _###_

"Think of it as a bonding activity," says Azula as she picks up the arms of a dead body.

Ty Lee reaches for the legs, abandoning inhibition. She cannot believe she is carrying a dead body across a beach. It somehow smells bad already, or maybe Ty Lee is just imagining it because of how repulsive this is. She hates touching dirty things, and dead bodies are the worst of that.

"This is the worst bonding activity ever if that's what it is," Ty Lee complains, dropping the body to rub her arms.

"You have enough upper body strength to walk on your hands. I know you can carry this man and you are just stalling because you don't like touching it," Azula says, and Ty Lee groans. She knows very well that Azula is always right. "Now pick up those legs and assist me. If you love me you will do it."

"I know. I don't want you to get in trouble for accidental murder, but I really feel icky about this," Ty Lee says, gazing at Azula with her best puppy dog eyes.

It does not work. She should have known.

Ty Lee sighs and picks up the legs.

The things she does for love.


	29. Nyctophobia

_###_

 _Nyctophobia_

 _###_

"I did it on purpose because my arm was stupid anyway," Azula snarls as Ty Lee tries to not to throw up. Ty Lee has done many dangerous things in her life, but she has never seen a compound fracture like that.

"I didn't even hear what you just said. This is so gross," Ty Lee whispers, looking away from the blood again. "When will Zuko be back?"

Azula scowls. "You're my girlfriend and you're supposed to do whatever I say."

Ty Lee thinks she has heard that same statement about ten ways, replacing _girlfriend_ with _friend, best friend, ex-girlfriend, subject, soldier…_

"I know," Ty Lee says, rolling her eyes when Azula is not looking. "I'm just scared of blood."

Azula laughs. "You are scared of _everything_. You are scared of ice, animals, spider-flies, enclosed spaces, forests and countless other things."

"Countless other things that are _your_ fault. Like when you made me stick my tongue to ice and then left me there, or when you set animals loose on me, when you made me eat a spider-fly web, when you locked me in a box, when you left me in a forest while I was scared and now you're making me look at blood," Ty Lee lists, throwing caution to the wind.

"I thought all of those things were fun. Maybe you are misremembering," Azula says. "Also, I have an awful injury. I am not _making_ you look at blood."

"I'm going to leave you in the dark," Ty Lee whispers.

"Why do I care?"

"Because you're scared of the dark," replies Ty Lee.

"That was a secret. I told you that as a secret."

Ty Lee shrugs.


	30. Graveyard

_###_

 _Graveyard_

 _###_

Ty Lee has always feared her child a bit. The truth is, her little girl loves her deeply and Ty Lee loves her back, loves her more than she loves anything else on this planet. But, she cannot help the fact that she might understand Ursa now. She despised the woman for years because of her attitude towards Azula, but she began to regret her feelings after she started raising her wife's daughter. _Their_ daughter.

The fear has always been unfounded—to an extent—until today. Ty Lee could always dismiss her thoughts by thinking about how sweetly her little girl smiles, but she knows deep down that Azula smiled like that too as a girl. And Ty Lee was very right to fear her.

Ty Lee, today, has been searching for stolen fire gummies in her seven-year-old daughter's bedroom. Every mother must do that eventually.

Not every mother opens the closet door and finds a graveyard. A graveyard of birds and maybe other small creatures Ty Lee does not identify. They are not in any state of decomposition because the bones are charred enough to remove flesh, but not so much that the bones do not shine off-white in places. She can only imagine what had led to this.

She wants to think it is a morbid collection and not the work of a killer.

She knows Azula and therefore knows better, but she decides to assume her daughter collects death like other children collects death… instead of admitting that her beautiful child could do something horrid.

The image of the yellowed and half-hidden bones burns itself into her retinas, into her memory, lighting the embers of fear into a fire of revulsion.

Ty Lee has never felt so sick.

She wonders if she should say something, if she should point it out to Zuko or Mai or Suki or her own mother or…

No, no, obviously not. Ty Lee has been the keeper of dark secrets since the day she met Princess Azula and that habit applies twice as strongly to her beautiful daughter.

She stares at a graveyard and thinks about birth, seeing the first moment she held her little baby, and her sparkling, luminescent golden eyes that drank in the world. It hurts when she thinks about her baby taking her first steps and holding Ty Lee's hand and beginning to speak in eloquent sentences far too early in life.

Love conquers fear. Love conquers disgust. Love conquers all.

A good, selfless person would consider telling someone to be an ultimate act of love.

But Ty Lee has never been a good, selfless person, especially when it comes to her family.

She closes her eyes and decides that she signed up for this when she married Azula.

Ty Lee seals the closet, makes mental note to clean all of that up and bury it, and keeps the contents a secret.

She can hide the crimes and ignore the signs but it does not change the thoughts simmering beneath the surface when she watches her innocent little baby smirk in victory as Ty Lee hides the evidence and kisses her daughter's forehead and makes her promise not to tell anyone, especially not Azula.

Despite that display of affection…

Ty Lee thought her own daughter was a monster, and nothing has ever hurt her more than discovering she was right.


	31. Dawn

_###_

 _Dawn_

 _###_

"Why do you watch the sunrise? Is that a Fire Nation thing?" asks Suki, sitting down beside Ty Lee. "Because Zuko does it but he said it was a fire _bender_ thing. I might've misheard him, though."

They sit atop a hill on Kyoshi Island as the rising sun stains the sky pink. It is a perfect, cloudless day. The past several have made the sunrise difficult to see, but Ty Lee watched anyway. Ty Lee makes circles in the dirt with the tip of her finger over and over again.

"It's just a firebender thing. I used to hate waking up early," Ty Lee replies, wishing she could lie. She worries that Suki will ask anyone else and her friends will hate her. Her old friends already do. Ty Lee feels the pressure of building tears when she thinks about that.

"Oh," Suki says, almost as if she understands.

She could not possibly _understand_ the memories.

"How do you know? How do you know stuff like that?" Ty Lee asks, trying to meet Suki's eyes. She cannot do it. "I've never told anybody. It's a secret."

"Well, _this_ little thing isn't obvious, but you dating her _is_."

"I miss her so much. I see her once a year."

"Which is once too many for every other person in this world but you." Suki wonders why Ty Lee does not laugh at that joke. She laughs even when people forget the punchline, or when it's the worst sarcasm on the planet. "You really do. Wow."

"She never let me see the sunrise with her. It was the first thing she _ever_ actually shared with me or probably anyone. She's not big on sharing…" Ty Lee shrugs. "Then we'd always see it together. I mean, it was only if I didn't say anything."

"And you didn't say anything?" Suki is more surprised by that than Azula doing something not horridly atrocious.

"Nope. I never thought I could be friends with somebody or love them without talking all the time about stuff, but we don't have to and it isn't awkward or uncomfortable." Ty Lee sees that that same feeling is her downfall right now. "Please don't say anything. She made me promise not to tell anybody that she liked doing that with me."

"I won't," Suki replies honestly.

Ty Lee smiles and turns to watch the rest of dawn while she can.


	32. Family Matters

**_This is going to be a three-part secret and a wedding story that will take place over three chapters. Warning for the topic of abuse._**

 _###_

 _WEDDING JITTERS PART ONE:_

 _Family Matters_

 _###_

It is Azula's wedding day. She is put together save for her dress, and Zuko thinks she looks pretty stunning and extremely scary at the same time.

"Are you supposed to wear make-up that dark for your wedding?" Zuko asks, pointing out the dark, swooping eyeliner that makes her look more intimidating princess than blushing bride.

Yet, when he looks into her eyes, he sees that she is… horrified? Her eyes look weak and she is shaking.

"What are _you_ looking at?" Azula demands. He does not understand her emphasis, since she never acknowledges people who wait on her as other people and that makes him the only person in the room.

"Everybody gets nervous before their wedding. You're fine," Zuko says, touching her shoulder. She pushes him away.

"I am not nervous. I have decided I do not want to go through with this," Azula says, turning to her brother.

He does not respond quickly because she has never confided him before. She has never shown compassion or vulnerability to Ty Lee and their father.

"It's the morning of your wedding. It's too late now," he says, hoping it comes across as comforting and not dismissal.

"It is _not_ too late. I can run away or tell her I was just—" Azula stands up, struck by a brilliant idea. Zuko does not like the look on her face when she leaves the room.

She finds Ty Lee. Neither woman wears her scarlet dress yet and so they do not have to face _that_ bad luck. Ty Lee's hair, however, is put into a fancy braid laced with red twine. Azula's up-do is less impressive in comparison.

 _However_ , they are not getting married.

"I have to tell you something," says Azula before Ty Lee can start to speak. In a sincere tone, Azula continues, "I was only lying about loving you and the only reason I pretended to go through with this wedding was to string you along and then crush you in revenge by abandoning you on the day of our union."

Azula expects Ty Lee to cry or something else satisfying like that, but her former fiancée just stares at her. She does not understand that reaction.

"Are you nervous?" Ty Lee asks, which would make a less-rehabilitated Azula burn her hand to a crisp. "You can be nervous. It's not a weakness."

"A wedding is not _difficult_. I just think you are marrying me for the wrong reasons." Azula wishes she had stuck with her lie. It would be easier to shove Ty Lee away again like she always does when their relationship reaches any discussion of a physical portion.

Azula said she just wanted to wait for this until marriage.

Now she knows that it has caught up to her.

"Let's be alone," Ty Lee says. She adds, "Please, princess," because she knows Azula will not agree otherwise.

They do meet up in a small, confined, shadowy room. Azula does not light any of the dusty candles. Ty Lee's nose itches but she pays the discomfort no mind.

"I want to marry you."

"To sleep with me?"

"To marry you because I've wanted to marry you since I was a kid."

"But now you just want to do it to sleep with me."

"No. I mean, that would be nice and I won't say it has nothing to do with it but I would've done this anyway and you know it. Are you worried because I've been with other people in the past? I only want to be with you, you know."

"You shouldn't want to be with me." Azula stands up after confusing Ty Lee with her words. Ty Lee has never seen Azula be anything but egotistical. "I refuse to do this wedding today. I need to be alone."

"Why? Why can't we be alone together?"

"Because this is a family matter and you are not my family yet," says Azula.

"What's a family matter?"

"People have secrets, Ty Lee. I am not required to tell you mine." Azula begins to leave.

Ty Lee, crestfallen, whispers, "But I wish you would."

Azula abandons her on their wedding day.


End file.
